My darling twins celebrated their 5th birthday last week and I thought I’ll just write a little post here for posterity’s sake.
twins-bulacan
Originally uploaded by annalyn.
Dianne and Dionne are my “miracle babies.” When I was still together with my ex, I was secretly praying for a daughter to follow our son and God did not give me one but two little angels. I really did not believe the doctor when he told me I was carrying twins after a routine ultrasound. Nothing like it happened to my siblings or our generation before that. Carrying twins meant I had a very difficult and delicate pregnancy. Even if the doctor told me to take a complete rest, I persisted on working and this I think was the reason why I delivered them prematurely at seven and a half months. Even worse, they stayed in the incubator for three weeks. Dianne and Dionne, who were born two minutes apart from each other, weighed only about 1.75 kgs. at birth.
It is hard to imagine how such once-frail babies could grow up to be lovely and lively kids but such is the miracle God gives us in life. Up until last year, they were not talking and I was dead-worried that the pressures of being a single mom could no longer make me cope with the burden of having a special child. But alas, they started to speak and are in fact studying for the first time at a formal kindergarten school this year.
It is also hard to illustrate how much pressure having twins exerts on a parent. There are always two sets of each item to buy and for now there’s always the same for each, at least until they grow to be teenagers and they develop separate identities. It is likewise amusing to note that my twins have different personalities..one is hyperactive while the other is shy. I could not as much as show a hint of favoritism to one or the other will get jealous and cry. But inasmuch as there are difficulties, there are also the rewards. There will always be two angels to kiss and hug me and my heart will take comfort in the fact that they will stick with each other and be there for each other, no matter what.
To my dear Dianne and Dionne, just remember that Mom lives and breathes for you. You never know how having you all in my life gives me inspiration, fascination and purpose. Your laughter and the life that I see in your eyes feeds my soul and drives me to be the best person I can be for the sake of you both. I will always want to protect you from this world but someday soon you will grow up and experience all the joyful and painful aspects that being a woman brings. Go ahead, spread your wings and l-i-v-e. Whatever the tides of time and circumstance, I will always be your friend. Mom will love you for always.
FREE BOOK! Are you, or do you know of anybody, carrying twins or multiples? I am giving away my copy of Having Twins authored by Elizabeth Noble which is a complete authoritative guide to pregnancy, birth and early childhood. It is 430 pages thick and you may drop me a line here to get it.
Some interesting twinning facts:
A woman in Chicago gave birth to four consecutive sets of twins, even though she never took fertility drugs. Meanwhile, another one delivered 29 children in all – two sets of twins, two sets of triplets, quintuplets, quadruplets and a singleton.
William Shakespeare was the father of fraternal twins.
Elvis Presley was a twin, but his brother died at birth.
Aside from Julia Roberts, famous parents of twins are Cybill Shepherd, Ingrid Bergman, Joe Kennedy and Margaret Thatcher.
Among the Eskimos and Australian aborigines, the other twin is often killed.
In some parts of Africa, having twins is considered a curse.
cheers to you! have identical twins myself and i know the honor and the horrors of raising them. how did you do it on your own? all things set aside, having things is a miracle unfolding, not only of the wonders of the Creator but on how he could double happiness for mothers like us! keep going!